


The Needs of the Few

by Pfain Ryder (Cat_Moon)



Category: Quantum Leap
Genre: M/M, Temporary Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-24
Updated: 2019-07-24
Packaged: 2020-07-12 18:06:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19950565
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cat_Moon/pseuds/Pfain%20Ryder
Summary: Sam finally leaps home, but to devastating news. There's only one way to put things right, and he's willing to take the risks.





	The Needs of the Few

**Author's Note:**

> From Quantum Instability #5: One Dark and Stormy Night. 1996.  
> (The story I really didn't want to write...but it came out anyway)

_The storm broke shortly after he arrived, and now the torrents of rain pounded against the roof and windows of the cabin. Between that and the darkness outside, it was impossible to see beyond the cabin porch. There was a chill in the air, and he was grateful for the warmth of the fire behind him._

_He’d come to get away, to think, to try and understand the events of the last few days. Try to decide what he should do._

_He tensed as he heard the door behind him open._

_"I knew I would find you here…"_

Sam turned to face Al as the door closed again. He was surprised his friend had followed him. He would have expected he'd be the last person Al would want to see right now.

Al stepped further into the room, taking off his raincoat and hanging it on the hook by the door. “Sam, We have to talk.” His voice was almost gentle, not harsh like it had been when he'd made his position quite clear...

Sam turned away. “What is there to say that you haven't already said?” He'd known what the outcome would be from the start. It was folly to let any hope live inside...hope that Al would be able to return his love. But after living other people's lives for six years, existing with a loneliness he didn't think he'd ever be able to forget, he'd had to speak his heart. And now, he was watching a dream he thought he hadn't allowed himself to have, shatter before his eyes.

“You don't understand...” Al said almost imploringly, coming closer.

“You don't...want me. You made that perfectly plain.” Sam allowed the bitterness to lace his words.

“Sam, I have AIDS.”

Time must have passed. He was on the couch, but didn't remember moving, or Al sitting down next to him. Didn't remember the earth swallowed him, but knew it must have. “No.” Even the storm seemed to have fallen silent in shock.

"Yes," Al answered, one word, bitten out. “Now you see why we can't...”

“Oh, Al...” Sam reached out, an automatic response to comfort, but Al flinched away from his touch.

He watched his hand as it fell impotently at his side. There were so many questions bubbling inside his mind, with an edge of hysteria that he noted distantly. He couldn't ask, couldn't say the words. To say its name would make it real.

"I'm sorry I lied to you," Al told him in a kinder tone. "It never had anything to do with not wanting you."

The admission tore through Sam's heart. "It's not--" he broke off appalled with himself

"Fair?" Al finished for him, with a snort. "I've been saying the same thing to myself for two months now. "

Two months. Another question answered. Sam knew he'd probably get the unwanted details regardless of whether he asked or not.

"Why did it happen to me was another biggie. Hell, I was pretty careful, you know me. Slipped a couple of times I guess, but everybody does, and I only slept with women, never men... at least not since the war, which was way before AIDS came on the scene."

He was definitely going to get more information than he really wanted to know.

“Shut up." Sam's throat felt sore, as if he'd screamed the words, although he could have sworn he'd spoken softly.

Time must have gotten away from him again. Al was holding out a glass with amber liquid in it, urging him to drink. He obeyed, coughing slightly when the fiery liquor went down. He wasn't handling this particularly well, and felt guilty. For Al's sake, he had to pull himself together. Maybe acting like a doctor would help.

_Detach yourself from the situation, Beckett._

"Do you know who...?"

"No. None of the women I've contacted have tested positive yet." Al flinched. "It must have been a one night stand."

_While I was drinking._

He didn't say the words out loud, but they both heard them. One last bomb from a war that had been over for years now, silent, waiting before detonating. The final punishment for his mistakes.

"What is your...status?" Sam cleared his throat to make the words come out easier.

"I've got the doctor's report, I knew you'd want to take a look at it. But the bottom line is, I'm not just HIV positive anymore."

"You knew," even though he whispered, it came out like an accusation.

"You were leaping," Al returned in answer. "What good would it have done to tell you?"

Sam wanted to argue, cursed himself because he couldn't think of a comeback. "We'll fight," he said instead, having to clear his throat again. "You could have years yet..."

Al shrugged, as if it didn't matter.

"I'll be here, Al," Sam said, his voice stronger now. He reached out again, this time didn't let himself be stopped from grabbing Al's shoulder. "We'll get through it together."

"I can't ask you to-

Sam grabbed both shoulders, shook them. "You're not asking, I'm telling," he almost growled. "Do you think all I wanted from you was sex?" Emotions running the gamut tonight, now he could feel the tears of emotion. "I love you!" He pulled Al to him, held him and wouldn't let go.

"Don't love me," Al mumbled into his neck. But he let himself be held, and Sam could feel some of the resistance fade. Al desperately needed someone to lean on. He'd break through the stubbornness soon, allow Sam to be there for him.

"I love you," Sam whispered again, beginning to rock the suddenly fragile man in his arms.

They sat quietly for a long time, clinging together, crying together. Finally, when they were both more composed, Sam broke the embrace to take a good look at his friend. Exhaustion showed in the darkness around Al's eyes, the tightness in his mouth. It was something he could no longer afford, he needed all the rest he could get to rally against the disease.

"We'd both better get some sleep," Sam said gently, "talk more in the morning."

"Yeah, I think you're right," Al agreed, rubbing a hand across his face. He rose, and Sam followed him to the hallway leading to the bedrooms. "Which room you want?" he asked.

"We can sleep in this one," Sam said quietly, of the closest. "It's the most comfortable."

"Sam--" Al began warningly.

"I said sleep, A1," he reminded, placating. His voice dropped. "Just let me hold you while you sleep."

Al turned without a word, and went into the bedroom.

Preparations for sleep were done in total darkness and complete silence. Once they were both under the blanket, AI obligingly let himself be gathered in strong arms. Sam had a feeling his protest was only for show.

"Good night Sam...and thanks."

Sam couldn't think of any response that wouldn't involve punching Al in the mouth for saying stupid things, so he managed a simple goodnight and closed his eyes, trying to convince himself he could actually sleep.

It came like a bolt out of the blue, and nearly took all the air out of his lungs. He sat straight up in bed and turned on the lamp, rousing his half asleep bed-mate. "Al..." he began, with a touch of excitement, panic, and mania, all trying for supremacy.

"Sam--" Al forestalled him. "I don't like that look in your eyes."

"The Accelerator--"

"No," Al spat out the word like an epitaph.

"But maybe I could--"

"Haven't you learned by now that you can't change everything, just 'cause you want to? I don't know who infected me, or even when. How the hell are you going to stop it?! Besides, that would leave you stuck leaping around in time again. I'm not willing to pay that price.”

"It's my--”

"No," Al repeated. "The government has declared it off-limits until you get the retrieval working a hundred percent, and that's the way it's going to stay. And there's something else you haven't thought of. The only way you could be sure of saving me is to stick like glue for several years--no guarantee it would work, and you wouldn't be able to take that first leap. All those people you saved would be deserted. Promise me," he said softer, pleadingly. He took Sam's face in his hands. "Promise me you won't do anything stupid. I can't have all those lives – or yours – on my conscience. Please. "

He didn't want to, but he had to honor...a dying...man's wishes. "I promise,” he said.

XXX

Sam sat staring out the window, not really seeing the beautiful desert sunset. Beauty had no meaning for him anymore. He'd thrown out the antidepressants Beeks had prescribed, they weren't working anyway. As if anything would. She was hounding him to get away for awhile, but he hadn't been able to go back to the cabin since...

The place he'd first heard that their time together would be more limited than either of them could have guessed.

He'd hoped for more time than they'd had, but once started, the disease hadn't taken long to do its dirty work. He'd also prayed fervently every night, that he'd be able to fix the retrieval program in time, but with Al needing so much of his time and care, there just hadn't been enough...time, it always came back to time, Even now, he wasn't much closer to fixing the program than he had been when he'd taken his first leap.

That didn't matter much anymore. Verbena thought he needed time and rest, to heal. He knew there would be no healing. He'd survived the death of his brother (in one timeline), his father, his mother (who died while he was leaping and hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye), the hardship his sister Katie suffered at the hands of an abusive husband, his fiancé leaving him at the altar, and being lost in time for years. But he could never survive the death of his own soul, and it would be futile to try. He hadn't even slept in four days, could not lay in the bed without thinking of Al.

A small smile touched his face as he remember how he'd eventually (well, it hadn't taken _that_ long) convinced At that there were ways of sharing love safely. While Al was still well enough, they'd had the privilege of bringing each other some pleasure, to counteract all the pain.

Now it was over. Only one thing mattered, he saw that crystal clear now. Maybe Al would be surprised at him, if he knew. Maybe disappointed. But he couldn't stand the screaming inside him another day. He'd either kill himself or go insane.

Waste, when there was one other possible solution...

He went back to the computer.

XXX

Sam stood in front of Ziggy's console, experiencing a wave of deja vu. This time was more important than that other, the one that seemed a lifetime – and death time – ago.

They'd all underestimated him (or was that overestimated? He refused to speculate on moral responsibility). He and Ziggy always had a few tricks up their sleeves no one knew about...just for emergencies. And Ziggy was mourning almost as much as Sam. Such an advanced degree of independent thought shouldn't have been possible for a computer, even one like this one, but it was Ziggy who had first broached the subject with Sam, tentatively inquiring about a rescue attempt.

It was as if Ziggy knew Sam couldn't survive without Al. And without Sam, his creation would not survive. The three of them were bound by an inexplicable bond that went beyond science and the physical world.

It had been fairly easy to do some investigating. Al was in the Navy, he had very thorough, annual physicals. He had not tested HIV positive until the year after Sam had leaped.

_Poor Al. All he had to go through. Me lost in time, then finding out this... I don't know how he coped._

Sam was almost positive, and Ziggy gave it a 9l% that he could save Al by being there with him, instead of leaping. If that's what it would take...he had no choice. Maybe it was his fault Al had gotten AIDS. He'd deserted him, leaving him with the entire project on his shoulders. Al had started drinking a bit heavily for while, until he got his feet under him again. Looked for comfort in one too many bodies... This was fact, not speculation. By now, he knew Al's life for those six years almost as intimately as if he'd been there every minute.

He couldn't desert Al. All those leaps, none of them for the man who had been hurt so much. Everyone, including Sam, had gotten his past fixed, except for Al. It wasn't fair. Sam was going to do something for AI for a change – and nothing in the universe was going to stop him. If God/Time/Fate wanted a lackey for "god's clean up crew," as Al had once referred to them, then He/She/It was going to have to accept Sam's terms and adjust the events accordingly. Sam wasn't playing that game anymore.

**Acceleration sequence completed** , Ziggy broke in on his thoughts.

Sam smiled slightly and entered the final code. “It's time Ziggy,” he said softly. “Let's go get Al.”

XXX

"Yo – earth to mad scientist!" exclaimed a smiling--wonderfully alive face. Fingers wagged in front of his eyes.

_It worked..._

"Al!" Sam's reaction was as instinctive as breathing and about as preventable as the tide. He leapt up and almost knocked Al on his feet with his exultant hug.

"Uh oh," Al said suspiciously, taking a step back. "I don't like the look in your eyes..."

This whiff of deja vu made Sam's eyes want to water, but he managed to keep his composure. He could hear Man of La Mancha playing in the background, and contrarily, felt more like he'd finally come home then he had when he'd actually leaped back to his present.

"What brainstorm have you got now?" Al continued, watching him warily.

"Nothing, I just..." _How do you seduce another man?_ The semi-hysterical laughter he could feel under the surface this time sprung from joy rather than heartbreak. I have a great idea." At his friend's cautious stare, he continued with a grin. "Why don't we knock off work early tonight, and you can come over to my place for dinner.”

"Early? You mean before l0 p m.?"

"Absolutely."

"And you're going to cook?”

"If I can build a time machine, how difficult can a little thing like dinner be?" It was a rhetorical question, and he hoped Al would take it as such.

Al sighed in capitulation. "I'll bring the--"

"Wine?"

"Fire Extinguisher. "

XXX

Sam kept true to his word, and they were both leaving the project by five. He shooed Al home with instructions to come over at eight, and headed to his own apartment to begin preparations.

He stuck to something simple, spaghetti, with sauce from a jar. He'd picked it up in a gourmet store and it was imported, so he was pretty sure Al would find it palatable. He'd also gotten some fresh Italian bread from the bakery, and some cannoli for desert.

After that he'd returned to do some quick house-cleaning, taken a shower, then started the meal. Now, as he stirred the sauce, he contemplated his course of action for the night ahead. "I can build a time machine, I can cook dinner...how hard can it be to seduce a man?” he muttered to himself nervously.

Sam had one thing on his side that should make things easier. Before he... Al had confessed that he'd been in love with Sam for years, but was afraid to say anything. It had been another source of regret; they'd both wondered how things might have turned out if he had spoken up.

His silence had proved deadly.

Sam turned the heat down on the sauce and went into the dining room to check the table one final time. He'd put his best lace tablecloth on, the one that had been his mothers. "Mom..." His head snapped up as he fingered the cloth, involuntarily looking towards the phone. She was still alive.. he'd have the time to spend with her now.

That could wait until tomorrow. For now, he had a more pressing job to do. His eyes flickered over the place settings, the candles in ornate holders waiting to be lit...he wondered how long it would take Al to get the rather obvious message. If he had been a female, probably about five seconds. It would be interesting to find out how Al's lady-killer's instincts worked with a man--his best friend.

Sam wandered into the living room, killing time waiting for Al to arrive. For an apartment, it was spacious and very comfortable. The government took good care of their prodigy...at least until they'd decided he was taking too long for their impatient selves.

He'd worry about that when the time came. He still had a few months before the fateful leap would have taken place, several weeks before they got word of the probable cessation of funding. It felt like all the time in the world, now. Al was alive. And nothing else really mattered compared to that.

Sam went over to the photo gallery he kept on the wall. It was there to make him feel more at home, old pictures from his childhood, along with more recent ones. All the people he loved, smiling at him and frozen in time.

His eyes found one picture in the middle. Him and Tom, their arms around each other and smiling, boyish mischief sparkling in their eyes. It had been taken while Tom was home from boot camp, that fateful Thanksgiving in '69.

He'd be able to say goodbye to his mother...but his brother was dead. And there was a good probability he'd stay that way this time.

Sam sat down on the couch, burying his head in his hands. "How can I do this?" he whispered. Conversely, how could he not?

_It was because of Al that you were saved, Tom. He sacrificed his freedom, to save you. I have to save him now._

Somehow, he felt his brother would understand.

Sam had only been there a few hours, and already he was starting to see an interesting pattern to life. Right now, he hadn't leaped, but while his leaping would help many people and make a lot of things better...some things would end up worse, many people would be harmed rather than helped. How could anyone decide who deserved to be helped at the cost of another? Apparently Someone had been making those decisions by guiding him in his leaps...but if Al Calavicci – after all the pain and heartbreak he'd been through in his life, after he'd done so much for others – if he wasn't deemed good enough to deserve a break, then Sam wasn't at all sure he trusted this cosmic judge's decisions.

The ringing of the buzzer startled Sam out of his thoughts. He jumped up and went to the door, taking one deep breath before opening it.

Al stood there, with a bottle of wine rather than the threatened fire extinguisher in his hand.

"Hi," Sam said, a bit breathlessly.

Al raised an eyebrow in amusement. "You gonna let me in?"

Sam stepped aside sheepishly, thinking AI might get the message pretty quick, after all.

"I got red," he said, handing the bottle to Sam as he entered. "You made spaghetti, right? With some of that sauce from Lombardi's."

"How did you know?" Sam demanded, impressed despite himself

"How well do I know you?" Al replied, taking off his jacket and making himself at home. "It's simple to make, and you know I like the sauce. At least, _most_ of the time I know you," he added as Sam sat down on the other end of the couch. "When you actually ordered us both off the premises at five sharp, you could have knocked me over with a feather.”

Sam averted his gaze. "Maybe I just decided we've been working too hard.

"You go and make sure the sauce isn't burning, while I sit here and try to come up with the conviction to believe you."

"Nobody likes a know-it-all," Sam mumbled on his way to the kitchen.

Dinner was pleasant, if on the mundane side. Sam even managed to light the candles without blushing, and Al didn't comment. They discussed everyday things, the conversation stayed light.

After the meal was finished and the dishes were in the sink soaking, they retired to the couch. Sam put on some soft (romantic) music while Al poured them each another glass of wine.

"So, what's on your mind?" Al said when Sam had sat down again, his eyes watching him steadily.

It was then that Sam knew his vague plan wasn't going to work. He wasn't the seduction type, even with women. He was more the honest, up front type. "I've been doing some thinking about...something..."

"Um hum.”

“Us.”

"Is that what this is all about?" Al murmured.

Sam finally met his eyes. What he saw encouraged him. "I think maybe our relationship has been...changing. Deepening. What do you think?"

Al's eyes closed briefly, then opened again. He took a breath. "What do I think?" He glanced at the glass on the table. "I think if I didn't know you'd only had two glasses of wine...”

Sam was feeling more confident every minute. He slid closer to Al on the sofa, casually putting his arm up along the back. "Do I have to be drunk to want to be...closer to you?” he said in a low, deliberately provocative tone.

"This idea is just so sudden, on your part," Al said, still hesitating, although Sam could sense his feelings.

"It only seems that way, Al. I've been doing a lot of thinking lately, and...” He was going to explain about his feelings, tell Al how much he appreciated his always being there for him, that he couldn't imagine life without him. But in the end he said none of those things. “I love you,” he murmured simply. "I can't imagine ever loving anyone more. I just...” he trailed off, looking down.

Al's hand came up, cupping his cheek to lift his head again. He closed his eyes and turned his head, kissing the palm. He could feel that delicious warmth begin seeping into his body. Al's hand went down to his neck, caressing, and he threw his head back.

"You're really sure about this," Al said in a tone of wonderment, seeing his reactions.

"You have no idea," Sam breathed, taking the arm that had been resting on the couch back and putting it around Al's shoulder. "You want it too, don't you?" He had to check, even with the information he had from the future.

Al drew a shaky smile. "How'd you know?" he asked. "I was sure you--"

"How well do I know you?" Sam returned his earlier statement, a stab of guilt seeping in at the lie. He hadn't know. If he had...

"Yeah, Sam. I want you."

The aching in Sam grew. He slid his free hand around Al's waist, and moved yet closer. It still wasn't close enough.

"I can't believe you're doing this," Al mumbled, right before Sam, tired of waiting, took his mouth.

For awhile, there was no talking. Hungry for the intimacy, they caressed and kissed, lost in each other. Finally, Sam broke free.

"Let's...get more comfortable," he suggested, pulling Al up and towards the bedroom.

"When did Prince Prude get so bold?" Al asked in amusement.

"When I fell in love with you," Sam answered honestly. He was going to have to try to remember to act a bit...newer to this, Al would expect it.

Standing in the bedroom, Al glanced at the bed and then at Sam. "Sure you don't want to...talk about this a bit?"

"Later," Sam answered, advancing on him. "You aren't suddenly bashful, are you, Al?" he asked, enjoying teasing his worldly friend.

Al sputtered indignantly, grabbing Sam and pulling their bodies together. "You'll pay for that little remark."

Sam shivered in anticipation.

They began undressing each other, taking the opportunity to explore on the way. The reality of having Al in his arms again, healthy and full of life, threatened to overwhelm Sam. His eyes misted up, but he knew any emotionalism on his part would be put down to first-time jitters.

He felt anything but like a blushing virgin. By the time they were both naked, he was so hot that he had to fight the urge to tumble them both down onto the bed and make mad, passionate love with his lover until they both spontaneously combusted.

Al chuckled at the blatant evidence of Sam's desire revealed. "You really do want me."

"Mmm..." Sam moaned, pressing his body into Al's. "Let me show you how much."

They sat on the bed, and Sam watched in confusion as Al bent to retrieve his pants.

"Maybe we better...you know," he explained, removing a foil packet from his wallet.

Sam grinned, pure joy transforming him. "It's not necessary," he said gently, taking the condom out of Al's hand and putting it on the stand. He was looking forward to a night with nothing between them but skin. When they could do absolutely anything with, and to each other, without concern. There was no reason for caution, when he knew for a fact that they were both in perfect health at this moment in time.

Al started to protest, but Sam hushed him by placing a finger to his lips. It was bittersweet, this proof of how Al would be so careful with Sam, worrying about his safety, yet make a mistake with a stranger to cost his life. "We both get yearly physicals, right?"

"Yeah, but--"

"I _know_ we're both clean. Trust me," Sam implored. His face darkened. "Even if we weren't, if you.. my life would mean nothing to me if anything happened to you," he finished, voice rough with unexpressed feelings.

Al banished the bleak mood by taking Sam in his arms and kissing him thoroughly, with a wealth of love and tenderness. Sam relaxed, giving into the passion growing out of control between them once more.

"I've wanted to do this for so long," Al briefly gave up Sam's lips to admit in a hoarse whisper.

"What else have you wanted to do, Al?" Sam taunted, breathless with expectancy. "Show me...”

XXX

After the passion storm had passed, they lay in each other's arms in a sated tumble of assorted limbs There were things Al felt he had to unburden himself about, so Sam listened dutifully as he related things that to him, Al had already told him about.

Trying not to flinch as he remembered another Al, so frail and sickly he barely had strength to talk, lying in Sam's arms in their bed and confessing his life to his lover.

No last rites for him, he'd said. His redemption was granted by the man who held him so tenderly, who stayed with him for the last, painful year of his life.

As he listened, Sam buried his face in Al's neck so he wouldn't see his tears.

_I can't let him die. No matter what the cost. I won't..._

"Hey...whatsa matter?" Al interrupted his own unburdening to ask.

Sam realized Al must have felt the wetness on his skin. He leaned back to look into the beloved face. "You are courageous, and strong, and loyal, and kind, and good, Al Calavicci. And I admire you more than anyone I've ever known.”

"Geez," Al grumbled good-naturedly at the praise. "When I told my wives about previous lovers – after they pried it out of me – I usually ended up sleeping on the couch."

"Al," Sam began, staring at a small patch of illumination on the ceiling made by the light filtering in through the blinds. "Would you make me a promise?"

"Sure. What?"

Sam took a deep breath. "Promise me you won't...cheat on me."

Al's arms tightened slightly. "I know how you feel about monogamy, Sam. I knew what I was getting myself into going in. And you know _me_." As Sam opened his mouth, Al silenced him as he'd done himself earlier, one finger to his lips. "I know how important this is to you. And right now, all I want is you. But I'm not the image of perfection you described before, I'm only human. I can only tell you that I want what you want, and promise to try my best to do right by you. I swear it, Sam," he added, his voice suddenly becoming more intense. “I won't blow this one...”

Something like panic churned Sam's insides. He hugged Al hard. "It's not that. I just want to make sure you...stay healthy," he finished, knowing how odd the incongruous remark sounded.

"Huh?" Al eyed him questioningly. "There's more, isn't there?" he asked, seeing the truth in Sam's face. "Tell me. "

Looking into those eyes, Sam knew he couldn't lie. "I _know_ ," he whispered. “The Accelerator works. And if you aren't careful, you could get AIDS." _Please, please don't ask anything more..._ he begged silently.

Al watched him for awhile, quietly, then seemed to come to a decision. He merely nodded; maybe it was the haunted look that lingered around Sam's eyes that had convinced.

Sam sighed in relief. Later, he might be able to talk about it, but not now. Right now, he just couldn't.

"Hey," Al admonished, grabbing Sam's face in a roughly playful grip. "We've just shared the greatest mind-blowing sex and are facing decades of more, long faces don't belong in this bed."

Sam smiled, tentatively at first, then it widened when Al whispered, _only long dicks_ , in his ear.

"Decades and decades and decades and decades..." he mumbled, heaving himself on top of Al and making a spirited attempt to meld their bodies into one complete being.

"Promise," Al murmured, just before words became inconsequential again.

XXX

Al laughed as Verbena related a Sam anecdote to Gooshie, fondly watching as Sam went through the final preparations for the momentous event that was about to take place, finally – the Leap. It had been a long, difficult road, a couple of times he wasn't sure they'd make it. They'd had a bad scare just a month after becoming lovers, but he managed to pull in one last favor, by phrasing it in exactly that way, and they'd kept their funding.

Sam had worked diligently, almost obsessed with the retrieval program. Al had been relieved. Prior to the change in their relationship, that part of the project seemed to be almost an overlooked afterthought, his main concern being getting the Accelerator working before they pulled the plug. Now, retrieval was up to 96% capacity. Sam's priorities had definitely changed.

Al smiled to himself. There were definitely some unexpected fringe benefits to their relationship.

"What exactly is he planning to do out there, anyway?" Beeks asked.

Gooshie shrugged, leaving the explanation up to Al. It was a touchy subject, how the main goal, which used to be only to observe and not alter the past, had changed so radically. Quite a lot of fancy footwork was needed to keep the truth crouched in enough double-talk to appease both morals and pocketbooks.

"Sam has a bunch of leaps lined up," Al told Verbena. "Says he has a lot to put right."

She looked at him in amusement, shaking her head. She didn't have a clue as to how serious he was, or what they had planned.

Sam came up at that moment, wrapping his arms around Al's waist. That Sam hadn't wanted to keep their commitment a secret from their trusted inner circle didn't come as any big surprise to Al. His own willingness to agree, had.

"We're ready," Sam told him, an expectant smile on his face.

"Okay," Al said. "Let 'er rip."

Sam leaned over and kissed Al soundly. "I'll be home for dinner," he promised with a jaunty grin, then headed for the Accelerator, and the beginning of their adventure.

**The end**


End file.
